


firewood

by thirteenpaperstars



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know what to put in this section, I just love Rayllum okay?, My First Fanfic, Rated T for Safety, Rayllum, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 10:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18247745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirteenpaperstars/pseuds/thirteenpaperstars
Summary: Rayla was dying. Not physically, of course, but mentally. And by glancing up at the dark sky, she knew that the pouring rain wouldn’t let up for a while, leaving her in misery. Beside her, Callum dragged his boots through the mud, carrying a sleeping Zym in his arms. He gave her a half-hearted smile.“You must be freezing,” he said, and Rayla felt her traitorous heart skip a beat. “I’ll start a fire, just let me go collect some wood.”





	firewood

**Author's Note:**

> Aw yeah, my first fanfiction! I'm pretty nervous about sharing this, but you have to start somewhere, right?  
> I love the dragon prince and Rayllum is my otp right now. (In case you couldn't tell lol) 
> 
> So, enjoy! I hope you like it. :)

Rayla was dying. Not physically, of course, but mentally. And by glancing up at the dark sky, she knew that the pouring rain wouldn’t let up for a while, leaving her in misery. Beside her, Callum dragged his boots through the mud, carrying a sleeping Zym in his arms. He gave her a half-hearted smile.

“I think there’s a spot up there where we can spend the night,” he said gesturing ahead to a darkened crevice in the surrounding mountains.

“But- we can’t stop now- we’re almost to Xadia!” she protested, ignoring the part of her mind that was desperately begging her to agree. Callum looked at her skeptically.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you scowling at the sky. Besides, it’s almost night anyway,”

Rayla opened her mouth to argue, but thought twice and closed it again before she followed him into the (luckily dry) cave. The pair set their few belongings down, Callum accidentally brushing Rayla’s hand as they passed each other.

“You must be freezing,” he said, and Rayla felt her traitorous heart skip a beat. “I’ll start a fire, just let me go collect some wood,”

Rayla nodded, momentarily unable to form words.

~~~~

The crunch of Callum’s boots under leaves echoed through the clearing. Tall fir trees towered into the grey, cloudy sky, perfect for collecting firewood. The menacing shadows of the branches mixed with the rain put Callum on edge. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was slightly nervous. Callum almost jumped when he noticed a faint rustling from a shadowed bush behind the trees, but then thought better of himself. _Your friend’s a sword-throwing, back-flipping moonshadow elf,_ he thought, _And you’re scared of a bush. Real brave, Callum._ He shook his head, as if to clear it, and returned to his task. When he had collected a sufficient amount of wood, Callum began head back. Everything seemed normal, and he was almost to the edge of the clearing when he heard another noise, one that was louder and much more suspicious. He froze with a flash of fear, and slowly, from behind a tree, a animal appeared. At first glance, the animal appeared to be some kind of wolf, or even a coyote. But after a second examination, well, Callum wasn’t sure what it was. The creature had four long legs, covered in mud due to the rain. Long claws protruded from its feet, and from its head were a pair of horns, not unlike those of a bull. Its mouth was twisted and and its body was covered in red markings that proved a mystery to Callum. He sharply inhaled in terror, and for a second he swore that the animal’s beady eyes flashed red. Then it started to charge at him from across the clearing.

“HELP!! RAYLA!!” he screamed pointlessly. In the back of his mind, he knew that the elf wouldn’t be able to hear him from where she was. Callum broke into a sprint, scattering all of the firewood he’d been carrying. His scarf caught on a tree branch, slowing him down as he struggled to free himself. The animal thundered after him, and he could tell it was in close pursuit. Scrambling away, Callum left his scarf and ran as fast as his tired legs would carry him. He dodged through trees and past fallen logs, grasping for any distance he could get between himself and the… creature. Remembering the lightning spell, Callum stopped, and reached out to trace the rune. The blue glow lit up the dark forest, and Callum realized with a sinking feeling that he didn’t even know where he was at this point. _I can worry about_ that _later,_ he thought, tracing the final mark in the air.

“FULMINIS!” he shouted, winding his arm behind his shoulder in preparation to launch it. However, before he could release the energy, the creature slammed into him, absorbing the energy of the lightning. It produced a terrible shudder from the impact, and its razor-sharp claws tore at Callum’s chest, as if it was trying to hold on. It grew limp from the shock of the lightning and Callum shoved it away, trying desperately to hold on and ignore the sharp flashes of pain he felt at every movement. His head was spinning, and he began to feel woozy from the pain. He looked down and saw blood. There was blood staining his hands, his shirt, and the once-green grass. Callum fell backwards onto the forest floor at the sight.

“Rayla...” he whispered, eyes beginning to grow heavy. There was a brilliant flash of pain and searingly hot light, and then everything went dark.

~~~~

Rayla was concerned. No, she was worried. Anxious, even. Callum had been gone for too long. _It doesn’t take_ an hour _to collect firewood,_ she thought, chewing on her lip and stroking Zym. The rain was pouring down heavily, and she could hear thunder in the distance. Rayla sighed. Finally, she couldn’t stand it. Leaving her spot on the floor, she checked on Zym once more and rushed out into the night. _Where could he have wandered off to?_ She wondered, wind whistling as she leaped with an acrobat’s grace from one tree to the next. Rayla scanned each pathway and tree as the scenery flew by, but to no avail. By each minute that passed, her anxiety grew. Finally, she stopped in a clearing lined with trees, and sunk to the ground. _Okay Rayla, we’re going to think about this rationally,_ she thought to herself, taking a deep breath. _Callum left heading to the west, which means--_ Rayla froze, looking down at the grass around her. It was hard to make out in the dark, but she noticed firewood- scattered by a thicket of trees. And on a bent tree branch, a very familiar red scarf. _There._ Rayla stood up and extended her blades. With silent, trained steps, she approached the pathway and began to follow the trail.

“Ca...Callum?” she called softly. Rayla turned the path’s corner, and stifled a gasp. A strange, unidentifiable creature, lying slumped against a boulder. Its fur was singed and stained with deep red blood. Rayla wasn’t sure if it was dead or not. She looked up, afraid of what would meet her eyes, but knowing that nothing could prepare her for what she saw.

Rayla was right. He looked terrible. Soaked to the bone, with deep gashes ran up and down his chest and arms. Callum’s eyes were closed, and he looked as though he fell asleep wincing in pain. Rayla covered her mouth in horror and sank down to his side.

“Callum! No, no, no, no! No, not again,” she cried, already feeling the panic setting in. Flashbacks of when Callum attempted dark magic arose, which only worsened her anxiety. _Not again. This time it’ll be fine. This time he’ll wake up._ Quickly taking action, she used his scarf to apply pressure on his wounds, tears running down her face and mixing with the rain.

Slowly, one eye opened, then the other. Callum immediately regretted coming back to the pain of reality, but then… well, then he saw Rayla, and the pain of seeing her so upset was worse than any wound he had. Callum could just make out tear tracks on her face, and his heart twisted.

“Hey...it’s okay...I’m...I’m going to..be okay,” he managed to whisper, voice cracking. There was pain in every movement, but he had to be strong. For her. Rayla’s eyes lit up momentarily but she started sobbing again. Callum felt useless. Slowly, gathering his strength, he reached his arm out to her face, and traced the deep purple markings by her eyes. Rayla’s breath caught and she stiffened, then fell into his arms, though being careful to spare him additional pain.

“I’m here,” he said quietly, stroking her hair,“I’m going to okay.”

“You...you’re such a- a dumb human,” she choked out.

~~~~

**Author's Note:**

> (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ I love my two adorkable children.


End file.
